Chapter 6: Shameless and Insatiable

Everything was finally back on track. After inspecting the wildly overgrown alkali grass that Shen Yi and his brothers had meticulously tended over the past few days, Ji Ling was just about to step inside her home when she heard her father’s furious roar from the courtyard.

“Get out! Get out of here!” Her father gasped for breath, the broom in his hand slipping to the ground. Her mother sat by the doorstep, wiping away tears. How could they allow their daughter to be trampled on again and again by these people?

“Uncle Ji, although I admire Ji Ling, the scandal involving her some time ago was all over the village. I can’t pretend I didn’t know. So today, this marriage must be called off,” Li Mao said, bowing his head in feigned sorrow.

The familiar tone struck a nerve within Ji Ling. Opening the door, a flood of painful memories assailed her. She finally remembered what she had forgotten—this was none other than her scoundrel ex-fiancé, Li Mao, who couldn’t lift a finger or shoulder a burden, yet somehow managed to charm girls and sleep with women.

Li Mao was somewhat good-looking, with thick eyebrows and large eyes, but utterly unreliable.

In her previous life, under the Sun family’s half-coerced, half-threatened pressure, her mother had broken off the engagement with Li Mao. At that time, he had played the victim. But now, this time, it seemed he had come prematurely.

Ji Ling crossed her arms and leaned against the doorframe, her gaze icy, the corner of her mouth curling in mockery. “And who did I think you were? Li Mao, two years ago you said you’d reached the right age and wanted to find a girl in the village to start a family. But you were afraid to return to the city afterward, thinking settling down would trap you, so you proposed first. My parents thought you were a decent, cultured man, so they agreed.”

“Well, how about this, Li Mao? For the past two years, my father has secretly done your work for you. The clothes you took from my family, one set after another, even these shoes on your feet were bought new by my brother. You said you had no shoes when you went out, and my brother gave you these.”

“You’ve taken advantage enough already. Now that you see someone better, you can’t wait to cancel this engagement cleanly. Li Mao, what nonsense are you thinking?”

Ji Ling stepped forward, closing the distance between them, her voice sharp. “You foolish fool, you disdain me, but do you think I cherish you?”

Li Mao was shocked that Ji Ling would curse, and stumbled back, his face red like a monkey’s behind, yet he scrambled to defend himself. “I—I didn’t.”

“Didn’t what? Have no shame? No decency? If you had any shame, over these past two years, my family has given you four sets of clothes, two pairs of pants, three pairs of shoes, rice, oil, salt, and even the labor credits my father earned for you. Add it all up—I’m not being generous—how about you pay me 200?”

Li Mao had intended to come and break off the engagement while squeezing some compensation out of them, but Ji Ling’s lion’s share demand nearly took his breath away.

“How can you say such things? Brother Li is not the man you describe. This is the era of the people’s rule, the new society. We are all successors of socialism. We have the right to free love. You can’t seek compensation or revenge just because Brother Li ended things with you.”

Moreover, those things were given at the time of your engagement. How could you ask for them back?” Bai Nana, who had come with Li Mao, stepped forward, her voice soft yet firm.

“Hah, your so-called free love really opened my eyes, a country-born girl like me. Free love means climbing corn stacks with Li Mao? That corn stack was even piled by my father himself, worried about Li Mao’s health. Did you ever think about how that hurt me when you climbed that stack? But whatever, trash is trash—if you want to recycle it, go ahead.”

Before Bai Nana could retort, Ji Ling raised her voice again, her eyes full of disdain as she turned to Li Mao. “You’re supposed to be an educated youth from the city. How is it that you don’t even have the courage to admit your mistakes? Or are you going to deny everything? Doesn’t matter—I have witnesses. Surely you’re not shameless enough to make me publicly recount the passionate conversations you two had back then, right? No way, no way—you really are that shameless? You’d rather lie and make me talk than pay back what you owe?”

Li Mao and Bai Nana’s faces burned red with anger, and they turned around, ready to leave.